


Little Shop Of Mystery! - LSOH au for MSA - TEMPORARY HIATUS

by fishbones_wishbones



Category: Little Shop of Horrors, Mystery Skulls, Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Arthur freaks out because his ring is talking to him wtf, Other, This is a little shop of horrors au hehe, Vivi is a dork and so is Arthur and everything hurts, kind of lewvithur uh yeah, this is so sad Alexa play suddenly seymour, this will have more chapters but yknow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-02 07:13:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17259872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishbones_wishbones/pseuds/fishbones_wishbones
Summary: Yeah this is an au for mystery skulls. It's little shop of horrors and I hope you guys like it!! This is just made with love in my heart and uh





	1. Downtown in Tempo

**Author's Note:**

> arthur is seymour  
> ??? is audrey 2  
> vivi is audrey  
> the deadbeats are the urchins  
> lance is mr mushnik  
> lewis is the dentist

Arthur heard his alarm go off, yawning and getting out of his bed. It was seven in the morning, and he was tired as hell. He had spent all night trying to fix the brakes on a customers car. He stretched out, getting dressed. He heard hamster noises coming from under his desk. He bent down, picking up Galahad and smiling tiredly. “Hey, little dude. Sorry, I gotta put you in your cage now.. Can't have you running around and stealing parts.” He carefully put Galahad in the hamster cage on his desk, petting his head. He put on his shoes, and climbed up the stairs. 

Uncle Lance was sitting at a desk beside the front doors. Upon seeing Arthur, he waved. “Yer finally awake, boy! I thought you'd never wake up.” Arthur gave a chuckle, looking around. “I was gonna head down to the shops today, find some more parts for the van?..” Lance nodded. “Go ahead.”

He went out to his van, Guinevere. Sighing, he put his keys in, starting the van and driving down to the marketplace. He mostly liked to look around, but sometimes, he would find something good! Today didn't seem to be one of those days though. He sighed, about to give up his search for something good, when the lights went out in the store.   
An unearthly green light came from above, and the lights turned back on. He saw a ring on the shelf in front of him. Huh. He could have sworn it wasn't there before. It was a cool looking ring though, and to be honest, he wanted it. Something about it just.. stuck out to him.   
He didn't know whether it was the emerald green jewel, or the weird engravings on the side.  
He picked it up, inspecting it closer and headed to the cashier to pay for it. 

A few minutes later, and about 10 dollars later, Arthur was back in his van with a shiny ring on his finger. He drove back to Kingsmen Mechanics, getting out of the van and heading back inside. He took the ring off, setting it on his desk.  
The jewel blinked, looking around its new settings. As Arthur left the room, it let out a sick chuckle, turning to a cackle. The jewel closed its eye.


	2. Grow For Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is basically grow for me and suppertime in one chapter!!! Arthur hears the ring start talking and bad stuff ensues from there

Vivi and Lewis walked into Kingsmen Mechanics, calling for Arthur. Arthur rolled out from underneath a customers car, smiling. “Hey guys!” Vivi grinned, pulling him up onto his feet. “Artie!”   
Arthur grinned, wiping his forehead with the back of his palm. He accidentally smeared grease on his face, but he was fine with it.   
Vivi and Lewis were standing a few feet away, talking happily to each other. Arthur sighed a little, quietly enough that they didn't hear it. A deep and ominous voice started to whisper in his head. 

“Look how happy they are, Artie…”

Arthur was confused, looking around. Vivi tilted her to the side, gently tugging his hand. “Are you okay? What's wrong?” Arthur quickly shook his head, dismissing the voice as nothing. Probably just Lance talking to a customer in the lobby. “Nothing's wrong, Vi! I'm just.. a little tired. It's been a long day. I… I'll see you dudes tomorrow? We could go check out that old house then?” He gave a smile, rubbing the back of his neck.   
Lewis nodded. “Sounds great! Ah… Vivi and I should probably let you finish up, but we'll be here tomorrow!” He smiled, walking out with Vivi.  
They both waved, Arthur waving back.

“They don't even care about you, Arthur. See how quickly they left?” 

Arthur looked around. Where was that voice coming from? He felt a pinch on the finger the ring was on, and he looked down at it. A emerald green eye looked up at him, and he took the ring off as quickly as possible. “What the hell?!”   
The ring gave a hiss, glaring up at him. “Put me back on, Arthur. I need to show you something.” Arthur crossed his arms over his chest, hiding his hands. “Why should I?”   
He covered his face with a hand, laughing quietly. “Oh my God, I'm talking to myself!..”   
The ring growled, rolling its eye. “You have yet to understand, mortal. I can give you power, improve your life, make your every wish come true. I just have one request..”   
Arthur sighed, putting the ring back on. “I've dealt with enough demons and ghosts to know what you want. Blood? Souls?”  
“Ah, yes. You are correct. I want blood.”  
Arthur rolled his eyes. “I can't get you any blood. I'll just take y-”

An image flashed through his mind. Vivi and Lewis were always happy with each other, but.. Arthur felt like a third wheel. Back before they both confessed to each other, they had been a trio! They were either seen as a group of three, or not at all. But… But, that all changed. It wasn't that Arthur hated them, or their relationship. The opposite, in fact! He loved seeing them happy, and they were clearly meant for each other! Sometimes.. he just felt like he was being ignored, or squeezed out of the group. He sighed. And.. he maybe might have had a crush on Lewis and Vivi. It was nothing big, but he knew they would probably be weirded out, or hate him if he ever said anything about it. He knew he was probably overthinking everything, but he couldn't help that. He didn't want to be pleading for attention, but he wanted to feel like a part of the group again, instead of the second fiddle.

“Arthur, dear sweet Arthur. I could change all that! Don't you see? There's no major price to pay. I just have one simple request. Blood. It could even be your own! You wouldn't have to harm anybody at all!”  
Yet.

Arthur nodded a little. He should know better than this. Vivi has lectured him and Lewis over and over on how important it is to not give blood to talking plants or rings or… Really, if something is talking, and it shouldn't be, don't let it near your precious blood. But he had forgotten.  
“Fine, fine.. if I get a paper cut or something, I'll give you the blood..”  
The ring gave a sickly cackle, but an inaudible one. It was going to have a lot of fun..


	3. Suppertime!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess who gets killed in this chapter? That's right.   
> Basically the ring finally breaks Arthur

A few months later, Arthur was taking Vivi and Lewis for a test drive of his new old van. He had spent a long, long, long time fixing, and putting the Mystery Skulls logo on it. I'm sure most of you know what the Mystery Skulls are. After all, you're reading this fanfic.   
They peeked in on the paranormal, and stuck their noses into the spooky's business. They haunted the haunters, and they were proud of it.   
Anyway, Arthur hummed to himself while he drove down the empty street. Vivi and Lewis were chattering happily to each other, Vivi blowing kisses to Lewis from the front seat.  
Arthur sighed quietly, rolling down his window. It was bitterly cold outside, and the freezing air stung his ears, but he didn't really care about that. He just wanted to hear something other than the painful droning coming from Vivi and Lewis’ love.

He felt his eyelids droop, but he said nothing. Honestly, he felt like shit. The green ring had been leeching blood from him every few days, but he hadn't slept at all either. He couldn't sleep, for some reason. He didn't know why. Maybe it was just a case of insomnia. He yawned, head falling forward. If he closed his eyes right now.. he could take.. a nice.. nap.

His head snapped back up when he heard Vivi shriek and felt the van jolt to the side. Luckily, nothing had gotten hurt. He still muttered curse words under his breath. Vivi looked over at him, concern flashing in her eyes. “Artie, maybe Lewis should drive us home.. you look tired.” Arthur protested at first, but after Vivi insisted, he sighed, crawling into the back seat. “Fine..”

He sat down, back pressed against the inside. He looked out the opposite facing window, sighing. And he heard that damn voice talking to him again. God, he wished it would shut up sometimes, but through trial and error, he had figured out that the only way was to respond. He glanced to Lewis, now in the driver's seat of..   
Why was Arthur sitting in the back?! This was his own van, and Lewis had no right to-  
But Vivi turned around in her seat, checking to make sure Arthur was okay. Arthur gave a weak smile, closing his eyes. At first, he saw nothing. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.. he was tired as hell, and this was nice. He started to doze off, falling asleep. He snored quietly. But.. that flash of green. Like something crawling across his field of vision. He shifted to his side, trying to get comfortable in the empty back part of the van.

Was he having a dream? He didn't even know he was asleep.. but…

“Artie, my sunflower, my star. I'm sorry to have to say this, but you are simply too weak for me to take your blood anymore. You might have to find a… different source.”   
Arthur shook his head, opening his mouth to speak. No words came out, but it was almost as if the ring sensed what he was going to say.  
“I know, I know. ‘But I can't just ask someone if I can borrow their blood! That's weird’ That's why, my dear sweet Arthur, you may have to use other methods to get me blood.”

Arthur finally was able to speak. “I know what you're thinking of, jerk. I'm not going to do it, no matter how much you make me want to..”

And another few months later, after more dreams and more sleepless nights, Arthur had finally broken down. He was sitting in the back yet again, furnished this time. He wanted to puke. He swore he wouldn't do it, and he would try his best to warn Lewis. Yes, he felt lonely sometimes, but Vivi and Lewis were still his friends, and Lewis didn't deserve to die, just to feed some maniacal ring that demanded more and more and more blood.

He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. It was another bitterly cold night, but his head felt hot, to the point of burning. Lewis parked the van, getting out with Vivi. Arthur took a deep breath, getting out.  
Lewis wrapped an arm around Vivi, grinning. “Alright, gang! Let's go see what's haunting this cave.”

It was so dark outside. Arthur couldn't see, except for the moonlight. He found Lewis's shoulder, holding it tightly. After all, Lewis was the one with the flashlight.   
Lewis always made Arthur feel safe. He smiled a little, before jolting at the sound of their feet scraping the gravel. “Sorry, sorry-” Vi turned around. “Don't worry, Art! There's nothing to be scared of. Me and Lew are right here.” She gave the cutest grin ever. Arthur really admired Vivi. She was always so.. energetic? He didn't really know how to describe it. She was always cheerful, and always there for him when he got into a funk. 

He nodded. “Alright, dudes. Let's go?” Lewis and Vivi smiled, walking into the ominous cave with Arthur. They split up, to look for clues to whoever was haunting the cave. Arthur with Lewis, and Vivi with Mystery.   
Arthur and Lewis climbed up a steep rock formation, trying not to damage it. Lewis reached the plateau first, a small cliff. It overlooked a pit of stalagmites. Vivi waved up at him from below, and Lewis smiled and waved back. Arthur sighed, eyes sweeping around the area. He felt so aware, too aware. His left arm twitched, the now familiar pinching feeling coming from the ring. He felt alone again, a green fog filling his field of vision.  
“Oh, dear sweet Artie… Those feelings of contempt that you feel.. Now would be the perfect opportunity, dear! Look how close Lewis is to the edge! You could blow on him, and he would topple over, like a house of cards.”   
Arthur clutched his left arm, holding it to his side.  
“Their love draws them closer and closer, and you get hurt by them. It's as if they are each in the handles of a pair of scissors, and you are between those sharp blades! You'll only get hurt, it's best to eliminate one of those sources of pain.”  
The ring was right. The best way was to eliminate one of those sources of his hurt.. Arthur could just take off the ring, and throw it off..  
“Don't even think about that, Artie. If you take me off, I'll find you. I'll come back and haunt you, no matter how much of my little energy it takes. Or.. if you wished to avoid that, you could easily..”   
“No.”

Lewis turned around, confused. “What is it, Arthur? You look sick! Are you feeling okay?”  
Arthur stammered. “Lewis, m..m.. move. Now! Get out of the way!” He screamed at him. He couldn't form the words though, his face was twisting up into an awful grimace. Lewis stepped back, teetering on the edge of the cliff. He regained his balance momentarily, before Arthur started crying. Arthur's arm shot out against his will, the final push over the edge, both figuratively and literally.  
Lewis gave a shocked scream, voice fading but the time he heard the bottom. There was a sickening crack, and a weak groan. He shuddered, wheezing. 

Arthur couldn't believe that he'd done it. He'd gone and done it, the mad lad. After all those times saying he wouldn't…   
He gave a stifled cry, his brain felt so foggy. He felt like he was in some nightmare. He heard Vivi give a shriek, and her panicked mumbling. Arthur felt like something else was controlling him as he stumbled down to where she was. She refused to look at him, crying beside Lewis's corpse. His final words echoed in his brain, the last remnants of him. “Vi.. I love you… please… don't remember me li…” He had trailed off, coughing and heart stopping. He had meant to tell her not to remember him like that, but… it was too late.

When Arthur and Vivi were finally back in the van, it felt unnatural. She had tired herself out crying, falling asleep in the front sleep. Her glasses seemed unnaturally pink.  
Arthur felt like the gravity of the Earth was crushing him, like it was pressing down on him. He could barely think, but he did his best to drive them to the shared apartment safely.  
He had taken off the ring, leaving it behind at the scene of the.. crime? Accident? He didn't know what to call it.

The ring grew hot with fury, rolling to Lewis's corpse. There was so much blood. It soaked in it, the most blood it had had in eons. It couldn't help but laugh, feeling itself grow more powerful and more energized.


	4. Do You Feel Guilty Yet, Dear Sweet Artie?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically Arthur feels guilty as heck and Vivi doesn't remember.

Arthur felt sick. He felt nauseated. He felt like he could throw up at any second. It was all his fault that Vivi wouldn't respond when he spoke to her. He couldn't sleep at night, even though that godforsaken ring was gone. It haunted his dreams, with that deep booming voice and pretty emerald gem. As he went about his day, he could have swore that he had seen the ring, taunting him. He would check every single hiding place, but there was nothing there. Weird..  
He had ruined their groups’ friendship. And he felt so so so so so so guilty. He beat himself up over it every second of the day. Why had he been so weak? Why did he do that? Why? Why? Why?  
Here he was, laying on the floor. He had attempted to sleep, but it was pitiful. He tossed and turned until he rolled off his bed, waking up with a crash. He groaned, sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck. “Ouch..” 

Vivi knocked on his bedroom door, and by the sound of her voice, she was very very tired. Of course she was. It was almost 3 in the morning.. she had probably only been awake because he fell. “Are you okay, Artie? That sounded like it hurt…” He sighed softly, getting to his feet and opening the door. “Yeah, dude. I’m alright, I guess.” Vivi nodded quietly, yawning. She had had a horrible, skull-crushing headache ever since that night. It felt like there were needles pressing at the back of her eyes, and she had to squint to relieve a little of the pain. Her brain had felt cloudy as well, and she constantly felt like she was forgetting something. She didn’t know what though.

Arthur had been silent the whole time while Vivi was trying to think of what to say next. Arthur sighed softly. “Vivi, can I apologize?” “For what?”   
Arthur looked to the ground, rubbing his left arm as if he was thinking of how and what to apologize for.  
“I’m.. I just… I’m sorry. I screwed up and..” He gave a sad laugh. “Lewis is dead because of me.. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but.. I killed him. That stupid ring got in my mind and made me kill him and I’m so so sorry! You should probably just turn me in or something, I don’t deserve to be your friend anymore.”

Vivi gave a soft giggle. “Arthur, you must have had a bad dream or something! Who’s Lewis?”

Arthur didn’t believe at first. Vivi must be kidding, right. His brows furrowed, and he gave a quiet but nervous laugh. “Vi, you’re joking, right? You have to know who Lewis is. He.. He was your boyfriend for Pete’s sake!” 

“I’m telling you, Arthur. I have no idea who this Lewis guy is! I’ve never met a Lewis in my life! At least, I don’t think I have..”

Arthur rubbed his eyes as hard as possible, groaning. This was all the ring’s fault. And his fault. He still couldn't believe that he had done this. “Vi.. I'm so sorry. I never meant to-” “Arthur, why do you keep apologizing? Do you need to tell me about your nightmare?” Arthur sighed softly. He wished it was just a nightmare. “No, I.. I'll just grab a drink of water and go back to sleep. You should too.” Vivi nodded. “Do you want me to come with you? It's dark in the kitchen and I know you're a scaredy cat.” “Hey!-” 

Vivi giggled. Arthur smiled, walking with Vivi to the kitchen. Finally, some normalcy.. He had missed these little moments, but they still felt so different without Lewis. 

A couple of minutes later, Arthur was back in his bed, staring at the ceiling. There were star shaped stickers on there, but they had lost all their glowiness a long time ago. A star shaped sticker fell on his face, dimly glowing. He sighed, setting it on his desk beside his bed. He turned over onto his right side, pulling the blanket up over his left shoulder. He remembered it as clear as day. He was lucky that he still had his left arm.. 

After he had pushed Lewis, Mystery kept snapping at his arm. He ran though, and he was a fast runner. He had pulled the ring off his finger as fast as he could, throwing it over his shoulder as he ran to get Vivi. Mystery chased after the ring, but it had been close.

He closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind and think of nice things. Counting hamsters, daydreaming about fixing cars, and styling his hair in the morning. Eventually, he fell asleep again, dreaming of nothing. Thank God. He had already been plagued with nightmares for the past few weeks..

He heard the squawk of his alarm, and he slowly got up, stretching and yawning. He looked around the room. He didn't feel like working today, but it would keep his mind off everything that had been happening lately. He sighed quietly, getting up and getting ready for the day. As he buttoned his favorite star button to the front of his vest, he felt something watching him from the corner of his room. Wait, what the hell? He gave a quick glance around the room, trying to see if there were any ghostly eyes peeking at him. 

There weren't any that were visible, but he couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. He carefully stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.   
Arthur went down to the kitchen, grabbing an energy drink and shoveling some cereal into his mouth. He didn't have to work today, so Vivi would probably drag him on a smaller road trip, trying to find some haunted house or whatever. He yawned, rubbing his eyes and leaning on the counter. He felt something watching him still.. What the hell?  
He felt a sharp pinch on his finger, looking down. He felt his heart drop when he saw that emerald eye. It seemed to be staring through his soul…

“But.. I thought I got rid of you!..”  
“You can't get rid of me, Artie. I'm stuck with you, forever and ever.. or until something very unfortunate happens to you.”   
It laughed. Arthur had sworn that if he ever heard that laugh again, he.. He didn't know what he would do. The ring had found him again, a cruel reminder of his misdeeds. He felt cold all of a sudden.. 

The ring kept laughing, and laughing, and laughing, and laughing. Arthur couldn't think anymore, his head was filled with laughter. It was infectious, and he couldn't help but start laughing. Oh God, what was this ring going to do to him?


	5. Suddenly Vivi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!! I've had an insanely busy week, and I've been auditioning for the school musical! So this chapter hasn't been edited well, but I tried! Arthur has been through some bad things so far, so I wanted to give him some fluff. This is also a Vivi centric chapter because I love her and she deserves more attention! Also I'm a huge sucker for Lewvithur so this chapter has a ton of that-  
> Enjoy!

Vivi was worried about Arthur. She had always had a sense for the supernatural.. She could tell when things were wrong, and something was certainly wrong with him. He was acting like a shell of his usual sarcastic self, giving weak retorts when she poked fun at him.   
This wasn’t like him at all! He had seemed almost… sickly. He was paler than usual, almost green! He couldn’t stand walking farther than a few feet, and if he passed that limit, he was hit with a wave of nausea. So, he stayed in his room, quiet and still as the grave. He didn’t even listen to his favorite music playlist anymore!

She sighed, looking down at the plate of blueberry pancakes she was holding. Yet another failed attempt at trying to get him to eat. She gave a quiet whimper, feeling her glasses slide down her face as they fogged up, hot tears running down her cheeks. She sat down on the floor in front of his door, bringing her knees to her face and crying. 

What was she doing? She was supposed to be the anchor, the strong one, but here she was, feeling like everything was missing. She shook her head, trying to hold the tears in. She heard Arthur stir, and the door opened.

“Vi? Dude, what are you doing?..” He mumbled, giving a weak little laugh. He held out a hand, and she took it, rising to her feet. “Artie, I.. I’m just so worried about you. You haven’t left your room in ages, and you look sick.” She gently handed him the plate, making sure he wouldn’t drop it. He rolled his eyes, stepping to the side and inside his room.   
Vivi followed behind, sitting on the edge of his bed. He yawned, sitting down next to her. She elbowed in the side, nodding towards the pancakes. He nodded slowly, but set the plate to the side. “I.. don't really feel hungry.” 

“Artie, please? Just eat.. I'm worried.”

Arthur frowned, looking away. He didn’t want to see Vivi like this, blotchy face and wet cheeks. As he glanced away, Vivi thought she saw a flash of emerald in his usually amber eyes. 

Mystery padded up to the both of them, circling around Vivi’s legs. Arthur held his left arm to his chest, afraid that Mystery would snap at it, and the ring growled in his mind. Something about a stupid mutt echoed through Arthur’s head, and he crossed his arms over to his chest. He sighed softly, watching Vivi pet Mystery silently. Arthur started to speak, but shook his head, trailing off. His cheeks turned pink, he was clearly embarrassed. 

He sighed softly, as the screaming in his head got louder and louder. Vivi may have been wearing those stupid pajama pants that had little turtles on them, but she was still /so beautiful/ to him. Vivi and Lewis might not have known this, but Arthur was sick of third-wheeling. 

He had had the biggest crush on them both, ever since he had met Lewis in the fourth grade, and Vivi in the fifth. Lewis had protected him from bullies and ghosts, and Vivi somehow convinced both of them to make the Mystery Skulls. He loved being their friends, but he wanted to mean something more to them. Vivi’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Hey, dork, what’s got you thinking?” Arthur chuckled quietly, shaking his head. “It’s nothing.. I’m just tired.”   
“Are you sure about that? Your face is completely red, are you thinking about a crush or something?”   
Vivi gave her signature cheesy smile, and it seemed like she was glowing. His cheeks only got more tomato-like, and she couldn't help but giggle. “You dork, you can tell me!”  
He sighed softly. He had already ended Lewis’ life.. He didn't want to be more of a burden to Vivi. He heard that goddamn ring talking to him again.. 

“Lewis is out of the way, my sweet Artie! You could make your move now…”

Arthur hissed, and Vivi looked up at him, concerned. “Are you okay, Artie?” He nodded quickly. “Yeah, I'm fine.” She smiled, taking his hand in hers, rubbing small circles into his palm with her thumb. He sighed quietly, looking out the window beside his bed. It was dark, but the moon and stars were out. A beautiful night. The darkness might have enveloped everything, but the light coming from the orange nightlight on Arthur's desk made the room feel comfy, and warm, like a friend you've known for ages.

Vivi yawned, taking off her glasses and setting them carefully on Arthur's desk. He watched her brush blue hair out of her eyes. “You should probably go to sleep, Artie..”   
Arthur shook his head, setting the now empty plate to the side. His line of logic? He'll clean it later.. 

He yawned quietly, laying back on his bed. Vivi followed behind, wrapping Arthur's arm around her. He gave a confused snort, but she just curled up next to him. “Goodnight, dummy.” He smiled, pulling his soft orange blanket up over them. “Goodnight, dude..”  
Vivi fell asleep almost immediately, breathing softly. Arthur fell asleep hours later, and had a pleasant dream for once. 

Lewis was alive, and the gang was on a picnic. It had gone great, and Vivi and Lewis turned to Arthur, asking him out on a date with them. He stammered with the suddenness of it all, but threw his arms around them, hugging them tightly. “Of course!”

 

He woke up to sun beaming through his curtains, shining right into his eyes. He groaned, eyes half open. Vivi stirred, tossing in her sleep. Her arm was draped over Arthur, and he murmured to himself, closing his eyes again. He stayed half asleep until Vivi finally woke up, rolling off the bed.   
He got up, helping her up off the ground as she yawned loudly. “Uh, dude, let's get breakfast?..” He smiled, walking down to the kitchen with her. She shuffled beside him, still sleepy. He got out their favorite cereals, pouring them into bowls and handing her her bowl. He sat down at the table, and they ate in relative silence, telling each other about dreams they had had. 

Obviously, Arthur was too shy to really tell her what his dream had been.. and he felt guilty about that. He had taken Lewis away from Vivi, and now he was actually getting closer to Vivi. Not that he didn't have a huge crush on Vivi and Lewis, but it was out of respect.   
But then something happened.

Arthur got up, presumably to go back to his room and work on something, anything. He just wanted to be distracted. He walked past Vivi, and that's when she reached out, grabbing the collar of his t-shirt. He stopped walking, giving her a confused look. 

She just gave him the biggest, brightest grin ever, before planting a kiss on his cheek. And that's when she hopped up, running to her room and shutting the door. 

And Arthur was left there, rubbing his cheek. His cheeks were bright red and about a billion degrees, and his brows furrowed with embarrassment.


	6. It's Just The Gas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late! I've had an insanely busy Tuesday!

Lewis woke up in a cold sweat, looking around frantically. He felt like death. He ran a hand through his hair… Wait, where was his hair?! He felt bone instead of skin. He looked down at his hands, and saw bones instead of flesh. He tried to scream, but he had no voice. What happened? He stumbled to his feet, looking around the… dark cave he was in? He felt a horrible ache in his chest, and he lifted a hand to it, feeling nothing there. There was a huge hole in his chest, and his eye(sockets) widened, and he ran out to the opening of the cave. Sunlight poured out, blinding him with light. He stood still, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the sudden light.

It came back to him in a flash. That familiar orange, taken over by a numb, rotting green. That cruel face, and his scream as his vision was filled with a comforting blue, and his final words.

“Don’t remember me..”

He choked back a sob, stepping onto the road. He was distracted by his final memories, and didn’t see the truck coming..

Meanwhile, back at the Mystery Skulls’ residence...

Vivi was turning the house upside down, looking for Arthur. Arthur had just disappeared in the middle of the night! She hadn’t heard anything, but the van and some of their supplies were gone! Specifically, the stuff they used for exorcism and helping ghosts move on. She ran a hand through her hair, sighing loudly. Where could he be? She heard cars pass by occasionally, and thinking it would be Arthur, she would run outside, to greet him, even if she was angry.

Arthur had been driving for who knows how long. It could’ve been an hour, or three days. He looked at the clock on the dashboard, yawning quietly. He had probably made a huge mistake listening to his calming music, but his nerves would probably kill him if he wasn’t as calm as possible. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles turning white. 

He felt his eyelids droop, and he pulled over to the side of the road. He was trying to remember where they had gone, before he had pushed Lewis off that cliff. He saw familiar landmarks, and after taking a few deep breaths, he kept driving, following the trail to that cave. He saw a weirdly decorated semi-truck in his rearview mirror, but shrugged it off. That is, until he felt the tire of his van pop. He gave a groan, stopping the car and getting out.

He saw a skeleton of his past walking towards him. He looked familiar, maybe it was the hair… But he couldn’t tell who this ghost had been. He heard laughter echoing from the ghost, and he cowered, backing away from the pink haired skeleton. That laughter sounded too familiar. He clutched his left arm to his chest. It was still flesh, but he couldn’t feel it. It was mindachingly numb. 

The ghost kept laughing, and laughing, but it didn’t seem to be having such a great time. Flares of flames erupted from his skull, and he let out a hoarse scream, trailing off in laughter. He finally spoke, but kept interrupting himself with giggles.

“Well, well, well, what a coincidence! Arthur, I hoped I’d never see your traitorous face again!” 

Arthur hoped that the ghost wasn’t talking about him. He pointed to himself, a worried look appearing on his face. “Me?”   
“Yes, you.. You idiot!” The ghost clenched his fists, flames enveloping them. “I can’t believe I thought you were a good friend, Arthur! First you kill me, and now I hear that you and Vivi!-” His skull was surrounded by flames, and he unknowingly floated up into the air, sadly cackling. 

“I have to protect Vivi and Mystery from you, you monster! Who knows what you might do to them? You might do worse to her than to me!” The ghost screamed, and it finally clicked in Arthur’s brain.

“Lewis? Lewis, oh my god, I’m so sorry!” He felt hot salty tears rolling down his cheeks. “I never meant to!- The ring told me!- Demon, monster!-” He slid down against the van, sitting on the desert sand. “I’m so sorry, I tried to warn you, I didn’t want to…” The ghost, Lewis, descended to the earth, glaring down at him. “Of course you’re sorry. You coward. You pathetic wimp.” Arthur nodded solemnly, blinking back his tears.

Lewis grimaced, feeling the heart on his chest ache. The normally bright eyed Arthur looked so pathetic, curled up on the ground. Why hadn’t Arthur told him about the ring sooner? Did he listen to him?   
“Arthur, let.. Let me try to help you? Let me and Vivi help you?”

Arthur shook his head, a chill running down his spine. “No, you don’t need to.. You don’t need to.. You should be mad at me, not trying to help me!” Lewis seemed to frown. He stepped closer, and Arthur flinched. He held out his hand, and he couldn’t help but feel as if he were trying to calm down a scared cat.

Arthur hesitated, but took his hand, standing up. Lewis seemed to smile. 

“Let’s fix this.”


End file.
